Tumblr User Guide
Welcome to the Eng 460 Tumblr User Guide Page. This Wikia page will help users explore the affordances and constraints of Tumblr and give a detailed walkthrough of how to use Tumblr. Tumblr Introduction Tumblr is a microblogging social networking site currently owned by Yahoo! Originally created by David Karp in 2006, Tumblr allows its users to create a short-form blog, either public or private, utilizing a variety of methods including images, videos, audio, and text. In addition to creating their own blog, users can follow other members’ blogs, as well. This content, along with all the user’s posting capabilities and account management options, is displayed in a convenient and easy-to-use dashboard format. Tumblr Usage When Tumblr was first created, within two weeks, there were 75,000 users on it’s site. Currently, there are 263.8 million blogs on Tumblrhttps://www.tumblr.com/about. Tumblr is often referred to as “the fastest-growing social network.”http://www.inc.com/oscar-raymundo/tumblr-doubled-its-users.html 'Creating an Account' Go to tumblr.com The page will give the user an option to either sign up or login. In order to create an account, the user will need to provide a valid email address, password, and username. In the event that a user already has a tumblr account, he or she can login and have the option to create a separate blog with the same login information. In order to access Tumblr, a user needs an Internet connection and Tumblr also has apps available on Android, iOS, and Windows phones; these apps can be downloaded to a user’s device, free of charge. Navigating Tumblr After creating a Tumblr account, the landing page is the user’s dashboard, which contains a main toolbar for blog posting and a menu bar for account editing. The toolbar allows for posts via Text, Photo, Quote, Link, Chat, Audio, and/or Video. Each posting option allows for HTML editing and tagging. The menu bar allows for basic managerial aspects and contains a quick-link to the user’s Dashboard, an Explore feature, an Inbox for fanmail, Activity register, Account Settings, and Post features. There is also a Tumblr-based search box for general queries of the user, to find specific posts or blogs of interest 'Tumblr Blog Features' Tumblr allows users the ability to interact in many ways: 1. Follow: If the user finds a blog that he or she likes, they can follow the blog. This way, everything that is posted on those blogs will show up in the user's dashboard. The followed blogs will appear in the upper right hand corner of the page. On the “Dashboard,” “Search Results,” and “Tag” pages, users that are not being followed will have a "+" symbol next to their username. By clicking this symbol, you will become a follower. 2. Like: If the user likes a post, he or she can can click the heart image in the lower right hand corner of the post. 3. Reply: Users can directly respond to a post on his or her Dashboard by clicking the reply bubble located on the bottom of the post. You can respond directly on your Dashboard via the reply bubble on the bottom of the post. It is important to note many users do not allow replies, so this reply bubble may be absent. 4. Ask: If there is a question a user would like to ask another user, one can find the link of the user’s blog’s main page. Additionally, by mousing over an avatar on the Dashboard, a user can select “Ask a question” from the dropdown menu. 5. Submit: Some blogs permit users to make submissions for the original blogger to publish. If one stumbles across a “Submit” button on their blog, simply click it and write a post to send to the blog administrator for posting consideration. 6. Fan Mail:﻿ This feature allows users to send digital letters to other bloggers. While similar to the “ask” feature, messages sent through fan mail are not anonymous. A user can send up to 500 messages a day. Reblogging on Tumblr Reblogging is one of the most popular features on Tumblr. A reblog is when a user sees a post they like and, by clicking the reblog button, the user can make the post appear on his or her own blog. This shares the post with the user’s followers. Users who reblog another user’s post, can add pictures, commentary, etc. when they reblog. While not mandatory, users can choose whether or not to include text, photos, etc. Additionally, while rebloggers might add additional captions, commentary, etc., Tumblr will always ensure the original blogger is always credited, and the original blogger's username will remain at the bottom of the reblogged post, permanently. 'Frequently Asked Questions' 1. What if I want more than one blog? With just one account, you can create up to 10 secondary blogs per day with many (but not all) of the same features as your primary blog. Simply click the Account menu and select “+ New" near the bottom. 2. Is there a limit to the number of blogs I can follow? Yes. You can follow up to 200 blogs a day and 5,000 blogs total. 3. Can I link my Tumblr account to my other social media sites? Yes. You can link your Tumblr blog to your Twitter and Facebook accounts. 4. Do all of my blog posts display on my linked social media sites? No. You can decide which blog posts appear on your other social media accounts by simply toggling on/off the Twitter and Facebook icons. 5. What action can be taken if other users post explicit or otherwise questionable content? While the freedom of expression is upheld, users have the option of turning on Safe Mode so that pages classified as containing NSFW (Not Suitable For Work) content will not be displayed. Self Harm and suicide blogs are banned and a search for these will result in PSA pages. 6. Like many other social networking sites, is there a way to block users, and what happens when I block someone? Yes, you can block users. Clicking their avatar and selecting “Block,” or by typing the username in to your blog settings page. Once blocked, that user cannot follow your blog, see your posts in Dashboard, search your blog, like or reblog any of your posts, and cannot use the fan mail or ask features of your blog. Note: if you have secondary blogs, you will have to block the user on each blog 'Additional Information' Still feeling confused about how to access and work Tumblr? Fortunately, although it may sound a bit confusing Tumblr is really simple to use. Some exploration of the site can be very beneficial to users. Additionally, Tumblr as well as other sites such as YouTube offer numerous videos/tutorials to help new users become better acquainted with all Tumblr has to offer. Category:Digital Humanities Category:Microblogging Category:User Guides Category:ENG 460 Category:Tumblr